Recent years have been rough for trade shows and associations. Between the pandemic and the economy, some companies have cut back on participating at conventions and expos, and attendance has taken time to return. As a result, conventions and expos are looking for creative ways to bring attendees back.

The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) has adopted a new approach by co-locating its annual convention and technical conference. The first combined event is set for The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, WI from Sept. 29-Oct. 4.

Attendees can attend either of the two traditional events or the combined event. NAPIM executive director Molly Mullins added that there is a discount for people who decide to attend both events, and the majority of attendees are seeing the value and are registering for both.

Before 2024, the NAPIM Annual Convention was in the spring, and the NAPIM Technical Conference was held in the fall. This year, the Annual Convention will be held Sept. 29-Oct. 1, and the Technical Conference will the held from Oct. 1-4. The Ault Award and the NAPIM technical awards will be combined into a single awards dinner on the evening of Oct. 1.

NAPIM president Geoff Peters, who recently retired as president and CEO of Wikoff Color, reported that the early results have been promising.

“We are running ahead of the pace for prior meetings and as I mentioned, many people are signing up to attend both sessions,” Peters said. “Sponsor and exhibitor feedback has also been exceptionally strong. They appreciate the value of a larger, combined event.”

“We are expecting not only a big crowd, but also a really strong one, including the top people from all of our member companies,” added Mullins. “We want to make sure that people get a chance to network with their industry peers and that they leave the meeting having developed important relationships with people they have never previously known.”

Peters observed that it was a major decision to combine both NAPIM events, adding that there were a number of factors that led to the decision, including cost and convenience.

“One factor was cost,” Peters noted. “If you rent out the facilities from one hotel and conference center for a longer block of time, it is much more cost effective than renting out two separate facilities for a shorter period of time.

“But there were other things that drove that decision,” he added. “For many of our members, especially Technical Associate Members (TAMs), it is logistically easier and more cost effective to carve out one five-day window of time instead of two three-day windows. In addition, attendees will have the advantage of meeting with a broader group of people, sponsors and exhibitors will reach a larger audience and the bigger event gave us the chance to attract some top speakers and presenters.”

The ability to bring both communities to the combined annual awards dinners is another benefit.

“Another really nice reason to combine the events is that we now have the ability to recognize the best in our business during our Annual Awards program in front of a much larger audience made up of both the key leaders from the member companies as well as the top technical people,” Peters noted.

To kick off the combined event, NAPIM has brought in a wide range of speakers, particularly Sachin Desai, ProAmpac’s COO, who will present a keynote address on the packaging printing leader’s growth and need for innovation in ink.

“We have a fantastic lineup of speakers for the entire session,” said Peters. “We have speakers who will discuss the economy, the latest trends in the packaging world, the use of artificial intelligence in sales and profit management, the regulatory environment, EuPIA, and the latest in color management, analytical equipment and more. Plus, there is time for individual meeting with key suppliers and networking with each other, which is so important to NAPIM and our events.”

NAPIM’s Technical Conference

As for the Technical Conference portion, which begins with the Awards Dinner on Oct. 1, George Fuchs, director – regulatory affairs and technology for NAPIM, said that the NAPIM Technical Conference Planning Program Planning Committee has done an outstanding job on this year’s program.

“Our keynote is Dr. Martin Habekost of Toronto Metropolitan University,” Fuchs said. “Dr. Habekost will cover the state of the art in packaging production technology – an area of intense interest in the printing ink industry.”

Also on this year’s program is Denese Deeds of Industrial Hygiene and Safety Consultant (IHSC), a regulatory compliance expert, who will discuss very recent developments/changes in OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard. Michael Gould of Rahn USA will cover interaction with the federal EPA in the TSCA/Significant New Use Rules (SNUR) regulating the use of new photoinitiators.

Shifting to the new technology area, the program features Steve Albers of Living Ink and Les Watkins of Inklaw and Associates, covering new and innovative technologies in the colorants space.

Fuchs said that one of the highlights will be a panel discussion on analytical technology.

“For analytical technologies, Natasha Banke of INX and Rich Durand of Sun Chemical have assembled a panel of experts who will outline the latest developments in analytical equipment and technology with a specific focus on small and mid-size ink companies,” Fuchs noted.

For more information or to register, please see www.napim.org.